Anyone want to see the 269-269 EV tie? I think it'd be fascinating, and it's not like the Constitution doesn't address how to handle such a situation.

Of course the ultimate President would probably be completely undermined and powerless, but hey, I Chaos!

ADDING...

Of course, I was the one in 2000 who was naive enough to think Bush and the Republicans would recognize the closeness of the election and the splits in Congress, and see the imperative in forming something akin to a coalition government. Whoopie-daisy me!

By this weekend will there be anybody left who will really consider voting for McCain?

Warszawa wrote:By this weekend will there be anybody left who will really consider voting for McCain?

Why not?

Warszawa wrote:By this weekend will there be anybody left who will really consider voting for McCain?

or Obama?

Because what we really need right now is someone who knows next to nothing about savings and investment, energy policy and foreign relations in the WH.

I watched some clips on CNN over lunch.

People are saying McCain stayed quiet during the whole meeting that he suspended his campaign to attend in order lead us out of this mess. And when he did speak, at the very end, he didn't really say anything to indicate to anyone in the room where he stood.

Assuming the above is true, what do the Republicans on the board think about that? I'm honestly asking, I'm not taking a shot at him. Obama very well may have done the same

Mountainphan wrote:

Warszawa wrote:By this weekend will there be anybody left who will really consider voting for McCain?

or Obama?

Because what we really need right now is someone who knows next to nothing about savings and investment, energy policy and foreign relations in the WH.

Right because Obama and his ivy league education definitely wouldn't understand that while McCain and his room temperature IQ and bottom of his class graduation rank in the Navy definitely would!

That makes sense!

i'd rather have a president who will surround himself with smart people and take the time to think about/discuss important decisions rather than someone who will surround himself with grossly unqualified morons and make decisions on a whim.

What about a president that surrounds himself with fluffy and cute lapdogs?

im voting for jamie moyer, write in, on election day

Woody wrote:What about a president that surrounds himself with fluffy and cute lapdogs?

obviously

FTN wrote:im voting for jamie moyer, write in, on election day

crafty way to get to the top.

Woody wrote:I watched some clips on CNN over lunch.

People are saying McCain stayed quiet during the whole meeting that he suspended his campaign to attend in order lead us out of this mess. And when he did speak, at the very end, he didn't really say anything to indicate to anyone in the room where he stood.

Assuming the above is true, what do the Republicans on the board think about that? I'm honestly asking, I'm not taking a shot at him. Obama very well may have done the same

If he and/or Obama continue to remain mostly silent on this issue over the next few days, that this will become a problem for him/them since it doesn't reflect much in the way of leadership.

I'm willing to give them some time (few days) considering the apparently messy negotiations going on right now in DC.

At this point, who knows for sure what is going on behind the scenes. I would imagine we'll know more about who played what role in this fairly soon, especially if all sides come to some agreement.

Mountainphan wrote:

Woody wrote:I watched some clips on CNN over lunch.

People are saying McCain stayed quiet during the whole meeting that he suspended his campaign to attend in order lead us out of this mess. And when he did speak, at the very end, he didn't really say anything to indicate to anyone in the room where he stood.

Assuming the above is true, what do the Republicans on the board think about that? I'm honestly asking, I'm not taking a shot at him. Obama very well may have done the same

If he and/or Obama continue to remain mostly silent on this issue over the next few days, that this will become a problem for him/them since it doesn't reflect much in the way of leadership.

I'm willing to give them some time (few days) considering the apparently messy negotiations going on right now in DC.

At this point, who knows for sure what is going on behind the scenes. I would imagine we'll know more about who played what role in this fairly soon, especially if all sides come to some agreement.

I think its fairly easy to figure out what is going on. This is a split partisan vote, where Democrats are siding with President Bush and the House/Senate Republicans are running far away. Why? Because they think its a mistake, and because the election is in like 5 weeks. If its a straight party vote, and the bailout doesn't help the economy, then a whole lot of Democrats just severely hurt their chances at getting re-elected. The Dems have worked hard to win their congressional seats, they don't want to lose them. Passing a partisan bill without Republican support takes away leverage when it comes to Congressional races.

McCain and Obama being in Washington really doesn't mean anything. Its like in college, where you were studying with your study group for 2 hours and then the dead weight of the group shows up, spills his coffee on the table, and immediately jumps into the conversation and has no idea what has been discussed. That guy is McCain and Obama at this point.

jerseyhoya wrote:Why House Republicans Balked

Definitely worth a read.

Thanks. I agree.

What's weird for me in all this is that the House Republicans are doing exactly what, in dajafi happy-world where the Phillies and Eagles prevail and the subway always comes right when I get to the platform, they should be doing: serving as a check on the more irresponsible big-government impulses of other actors in the system.

That said, the whole setup only works if they ultimately contribute something toward a good deal, which very much remains to be seen.

seke2 wrote:i'd rather have a president who will surround himself with smart people and take the time to think about/discuss important decisions rather than someone who will surround himself with grossly unqualified morons and make decisions on a whim.

You mean like former execs at Fannie Mae, Joe Biden, Samantha Power, Joseph Cirincione, Zbigniew Brzezinski, et al?

Slate.com tries to predict McCain's next 10 campaign stunts:

http://www.slate.com/id/2200927/

Honestly, I had a good deal of respect for McCain, as a senator and a veteran, heading into this campaign. Even coming into this week, I still had a bit of respect for the man. But it's all gone. He really is just a craven, do or say anything politician - the exact opposite of what so many thought 8 years ago or even more recently.

A few months ago, a friend and I were talking about how we were hoping for the kind of win that would re-align the political landscape. More recently, I had just hoped the Democrats could squeak one out. I'm now thinking a very big win for Obama is quite possible - maybe not a realignment, but perhaps one that in tandem with 2006 and the next few elections will bring about a multi-election realignment.

BTW, one poll today shows Obama with a 5-point lead in Virginia. Virginia has been trending red to purple for a few years now, but if Obama takes the Old Dominion and Mark Warner really wins John Warner's seat by 30 points over Jim Gilmore, Virginia may just be a violet-blue state, at least.

yes, it's way better than the alterative

i hate bush, but i respect that he's generally surrounded himself with smart people. i don't agree with their policies, but i generally feel that they are at least being created by intelligent people.

with mccain, i don't even have faith that he'd be surrounded by smart people (based on the choices he has made as a candidate) or be intelligent enough to listen to those people (based on his often seeming to act brashly and irrationally as a candidate).

edit: fixed unclear wording

FTN wrote:

Mountainphan wrote:

Woody wrote:I watched some clips on CNN over lunch.

People are saying McCain stayed quiet during the whole meeting that he suspended his campaign to attend in order lead us out of this mess. And when he did speak, at the very end, he didn't really say anything to indicate to anyone in the room where he stood.

Assuming the above is true, what do the Republicans on the board think about that? I'm honestly asking, I'm not taking a shot at him. Obama very well may have done the same

If he and/or Obama continue to remain mostly silent on this issue over the next few days, that this will become a problem for him/them since it doesn't reflect much in the way of leadership.

I'm willing to give them some time (few days) considering the apparently messy negotiations going on right now in DC.

At this point, who knows for sure what is going on behind the scenes. I would imagine we'll know more about who played what role in this fairly soon, especially if all sides come to some agreement.

I think its fairly easy to figure out what is going on. This is a split partisan vote, where Democrats are siding with President Bush and the House/Senate Republicans are running far away. Why? Because they think its a mistake, and because the election is in like 5 weeks. If its a straight party vote, and the bailout doesn't help the economy, then a whole lot of Democrats just severely hurt their chances at getting re-elected. The Dems have worked hard to win their congressional seats, they don't want to lose them. Passing a partisan bill without Republican support takes away leverage when it comes to Congressional races.

McCain and Obama being in Washington really doesn't mean anything. Its like in college, where you were studying with your study group for 2 hours and then the dead weight of the group shows up, spills his coffee on the table, and immediately jumps into the conversation and has no idea what has been discussed. That guy is McCain and Obama at this point.

Except Senate Republicans aren't running away from the deal, by and large.

Mountainphan wrote:

seke2 wrote:i'd rather have a president who will surround himself with smart people and take the time to think about/discuss important decisions rather than someone who will surround himself with grossly unqualified morons and make decisions on a whim.

You mean like former execs at Fannie Mae, Joe Biden, Samantha Power, Joseph Cirincione, Zbigniew Brzezinski, et al?

I don't know who Joseph Cirincione or Samantha Power are, but I think it's quite a reach to categorize Biden or Brzezinski as "grossly unqualified morons."

seke2 wrote:yes, it's way better than the alterative

i hate bush, but i respect that he's generally surrounded himself with smart people. i don't agree with their policies, but i generally feel that they are at least intelligent.

with mccain, i don't even have faith that he'd be surrounded by smart people (based on the choices he has made as a candidate) or be intelligent enough to listen to those people (based on his often seeming to act brashly and irrationally as a candidate).

Based on which choices?